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Egypt's Day Of Departure; Kelly Will Command Endeavour; Unemployment Rate Falls To 9 Percent; New Orleans Population Decline; 16 Sailors Dismissed Over Drugs; New Friends For Bullied Teen, the Philadelphia Eagles; Super Bowl Travel Challenges; Unemployment Rate Drops; An Astronaut's Struggle; Reagan's Lasting Legacy; 'Day of Departure' Rally in Egypt
Aired February 04, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Suzanne, have a great afternoon. I'll pick it up where you left off.
Live pictures, right now. Top left of your screen from Egypt. That's Tahrir Square. More people there than ever. Protesters are calling this, the day of departure, in hopes to pressure President Mubarak to resign, immediately, not in September.
There weren't as many jobs added last month as expected. The middle of the screen is the Dow Jones industrial average. The unemployment rate fell to 9 percent. That's the lowest since April 2009. But I'll tell you what's behind it. As you can see, there, not much of a reaction in the stock market. And on the top right of your screen, hundreds of flights in and out of Dallas are cancelled because of a snow storm. That is Dallas, right now, that you're looking at. Thousands of people trying to get out of town for the Super Bowl on Sunday -- get into town for the Super Bowl on Sunday.
All right, it's 8:00 p.m. Let's start with Cairo. The day of departure, so-called by anti-government demonstrators, well, it's winding down. It's nighttime, now, in Egypt. Egypt's president, for the past 30 years, Hosni Mubarak, hasn't departed. What we have, now, is a live shot of Tahrir Square. It's a dramatic departure from the bloodshed of the past few days. As you can see, there, all appears to be calm as the anti-Mubarak masses swelled in the Square, pro-Mubarak protesters, who appeared with a vengeance on Wednesday, seemed to fade away. The military stepped up its profile but not its use of force.
Here, you see the minister of defense. You can see that, wading into the sea of regime opponents entirely uneventfully. At times, today, the vast crowds were jubilant for reasons that are still not entirely clear. You can see them going in circles, clapping, singing. Similar scenes played out by the way in the cities of Alexandria and Suez.
Now, elsewhere in Cairo, late in the day today, violence did break out between pro and anti-government diehards and the campaign to attack and intimidate journalists is not over either. Now, it seems focused on Al Jazeera, where it started, by the way, as well as the news site of the band Muslim Brotherhood.
CNN's Ivan Watson has been in the midst of this upheaval for days. He joins me, now, for "Two at the Top." Ivan, what's the situation as we see it? It certainly looks much calmer than it has before, but they didn't get their way. If they wanted this to be the day for President Mubarak to depart, that hasn't happened.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That has not happened. And what we see, behind me, here Tahrir Square, is such a complete 180 degree reversal, Ali, from what had preceded this for the last two days and nights. This was a battleground. There was a siege underway. This was full of thousands of men who were manning barricades, fighting against pro-Mubarak supporters at the outskirts of the Square with rocks and Molotov cocktails, and clubs. More than 800 people wounded, at least eight people killed, and, today, look at the scene. You have thousands of people kneeling in the Square praying, and during the peak prayer time, it is Friday, the Muslim prayer day of the week, here. And, then, scenes of jubilation. People dancing in circles, clapping, continuing their chants of, down, down Mubarak.
We've heard an odd combination of speeches and sounds coming from the loud speakers. Sometimes diatribes against Israel and accusations that Mubarak is an agent of Israel. Sometimes folk music and guitars playing, just showing you how diverse the crowd behind me is -- Ali?
VELSHI: All right. The diversity, this problem, in this uprising, may be a bit of an issue, right now, Ivan, because what are they going to do now? They made demands they want Mubarak to leave. Mubarak says he'll leave in September. What has to happen next for somebody to make a move?
WATSON: Very good question. You did have, what appeared to be, an effort to wipe out this symbol of resistance and defiance to Hosni Mubarak for the two days and two nights of fighting here, and the anti-Mubarak demonstrators fought back, they risked their lives and they held on to this territory. And, now, the government and the military appear to have allowed the demonstrators some space to continue their demands for Mubarak to resign.
So, that's what everybody, here, is doing. Calling for the same thing and saying -- in some cases, they're not going to conduct any other negotiations with the government until this primary demand is completed. So, we're at a bit of a standoff, now.
VELSHI: We'll stay on top of it with you, Ivan, and the crew down there. Stay safe. We know that the attacks on journalists are continuing. Ivan Watson in Tahrir Square in Cairo. We'll stay on top of this story, for you.
All right. Astronaut, Mark Kelly, will command the upcoming "Endeavour" space mission. It had been up in the air, whether he'd make the trip, since his wife Gabrielle Giffords is still recovering from a gunshot wound to her head. But in a statement, released today, Kelly says, he's looking forward to rejoining fellow crew members and finishing their training. Liftoff is set for April 19th. NASA plans to hold a news conference about two hours, from now, to discuss the matter. CNN will bring than to you, live. Coming up in about 15 minutes, though, we're going to talk to a former astronaut about balancing family with work in space.
Many economists were caught off guard by the new jobs report released today. The economy added just 36,000 jobs in January. You can see that on the right side of your screen. That is far fewer than the 149,000 jobs that they had anticipated.
On the other hand, the unemployment rate tumbled to 9 percent, down from 9.4 percent a month earlier. The weather played a role in that with many businesses closing their doors in January instead of looking for a job.
Many New Orleans residents, who left after hurricane Katrina, have not come home, yet. A census report shows that the crescent city lost, nearly, a third of its population. That's according to a report in "USA Today." Census workers counted just under 344,000 people, down from 485,000, in the year 2000. But New Orleans still remains Louisiana's most popular city.
And CNN is learning 16 sailors have been kicked out of the Navy for using or dealing a marijuana mimicking drug known as spice. While the synthetic drug is not considered illegal in the United States, the defense department and Navy, in particular, have banned it. It's often sold in tobacco shops and over the Internet. The dismissed sailors were all assigned to the Norfolk, Virginia base, U.S. Baton. The Navy launched an eight-week long investigation after finding an empty package of spice on the ship, during a routine search in November.
Well, our "Sound Effect," today, is a shout-out for Nadin Khoury. You've met Miami on our air before. He's the 13-year-old Pennsylvania boy who was brutally attacked by older, bigger kids at his suburban Philadelphia high school. One of the kids captured the whole sickening event on cell phone video and that's how they ended up getting in trouble. Nadin was kicked, he was dragged through the snow, hung from a rod iron fence by his coat.
This week, his seven alleged tormentors were arrested and charged with juvenile offenses, including kidnapping and aggravated assault. Yesterday, Nadin got a surprise. While telling his story on a TV talk show from a friend he never knew he had.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DESEAN JACKSON, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: First and foremost, man, I want to say, you're brave, because this happens every day and people are not, you know, brave enough to stand up and take this on. You know, man, bro, really, you're doing it, man. I just want to say, man, I appreciate you, bro.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: That's excellent. Jackson gave his -- gave Nadin his jersey and made him an unofficial teammate of the Philadelphia Eagles. Well, after nasty weather that hit the north this week, now it's the south's turn and could affect one of the biggest sporting events of the year. You know the one we're talking about. We'll have a live report from the site of the snowy Super Bowl, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Tahrir Square in Cairo. We're keeping our cameras train on that. Our journalists are down there.
Let's bring you back here and talk about the weather. Earlier this week, it was the north and the Midwest getting clobbered by that storm. Now, it's the south. We saw snow coming in off the Gulf of Mexico. Where are we now? What's going on?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We are in a place where the cold air, from the storm this week that made all the snow, sank so far to the south that when it tried to rain, on top of those places that that cold air already was, well, we got snow. And we got six inches to eight inches of snow just east of Arlington, just east of the --
VELSHI: The Super Bowl.
MYERS: And, then, ice all the way through Mississippi, Alabama. Got a little lucky, here, in Atlanta. It rained. It was 34. Two more degrees, and, all of a sudden, we had an ugly rush this morning. We knew that wasn't going to happen. But look the snow. Finally ending in Dallas. Still coming down at about Little Rock. And, then, on, up here, into central Missouri. This is the same places that picked up all the snow before. We saw buildings starting to lose their roofs, you know?
VELSHI: Yes, yes.
MYERS: Things it collapsing with this weight. Well, it could happen, again, especially if more snow comes down. Six more inches in some spots, especially Oklahoma, Arkansas, not so much for Dallas. That's (ph) over. We've been watching this every day, now, this week. This is a very interesting number. You come to me every day, at this time. A couple days ago, 4,000 planes. And yesterday, 5,000 planes. Today, fifty-three hundred planes.
VELSHI: OK.
MYERS: And six thousand is fully normal, do you think?
VELSHI: Pretty much.
MYERS: So, it's not that we've lost flights, it's just they're a little bit slow.
VELSHI: Right.
MYERS: Let's go to DFW.
VELSHI: Yes, sure. MYERS: Let's take this shot.
VELSHI: This is unbelievable.
MYERS: It really is. You would -- you would think that this is Minneapolis. No, this is Dallas. This is what people are trying to get through to get to the Super Bowl.
VELSHI: Yes, we know America's cancelled a lot of flights. We know Love Field still has issues with Southwest.
MYERS: Correct, correct. They had a lot of ice coming down, as well. But the snow, from Houston all the way up through Waco and into Dallas -- the numbers were four to six, eight inches last night.
VELSHI: What's the super bowl forecast?
MYERS: Forty-four.
VELSHI: All right.
MYERS: Forty-four. So, we'll be OK.
VELSHI: Dry.
MYERS: You know, the game's -- the game's not going to be snowed out. We're not going to see a snow bowl, like you would see, like, at Foxborough. But, anyway, it will be a cold game. That's what people expect.
VELSHI: It's colder for the -- for the viewers than it's -- the players are going to be OK at 44. All right. Let's go down there, actually, Mark McKay is standing by in Arlington, Texas. What's it looking like, there, Mark? What's going on?
MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ali, Chad gave you the snowfall totals here in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington area. Let me give you some more numbers. The roads are a complete mess. The Texas Department of Transportation advising for everyone to stay of the roads for the crews to, actually, get out and treat the roads. An additional 44 snow plows are being brought in to the Dallas Metroplex to clear roadways from other parts of the state. They have 10,000 lane miles that need treated. And, right now, the main thorough fairs, while they're passable, all of the side streets, certainly on and off ramps, making travel around, here, getting in and out of the Arlington and Dallas area very treacherous. You mentioned the airports, Ali and Chad. Dallas, Fort Worth. They're hoping to get the runways back open, again. Hundreds of cancelations, as you mentioned, not only there, but at Love Field. So, people coming in, from across the country, trying to get into the Super Bowl, this weekend, are encountering huge delays, just trying to get into Dallas Fort Worth.
As for the Super Bowl itself, Ali, we've heard from the Super Bowl host committee president today. He says that all of the parking lots around the stadium -- and earlier today we've seen people out there actually sledding around the -- some of the hilly areas near cowboys' stadium. All the parking lots will be cleared. There have been no official cancellation of NFL sanctioned events, here, in the Dallas area, but he has admitted that the buildup of Super Bowl XLV, on Sunday, has been compromised due to the wicked winter weather -- Ali.
VELSHI: All right. I wonder what tailgating is going to feel like.
MCKAY: Some of those outdoor concerts might be a little bit chilly.
VELSHI: Exactly. Mark, great. We will stay in touch with you, and, I know, you will be all over it this weekend. Thanks very much. Mark McKay in Arlington, Texas. And I know you -- are we going to get some break? I got to fly tomorrow. No -- it's what -- I'm flying tomorrow morning.
MYERS: You'll be OK.
VELSHI: Philly. We're OK?
MYERS: Yes, you'll get out. We just got our DFW shot back up.
VELSHI: That's the airport.
MYERS: There's you're -- there's a live shot from the CBSDFW.com.
VELSHI: And, as Mark said, they don't have the equipment to fully deal with that snow. So, we're getting it on --
MYERS: I don't even see any tracks. No cars moving around.
VELSHI: Yes. All right. We'll stay on top of it. Thank you.
Another big story today. Surprising numbers in today's unemployment report. We get unemployment report on the first Friday of the month. It's got to do with January. The unemployment rate has dropped dramatically to 9 percent, but we're not creating enough jobs. I'll let you know what you need to know, on the other side of this break. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: The unemployment rate took an unexpected fall in the month of January. The economy added 36,000 jobs. That is well below the number that many economists expected. The unemployment rate for the country now stands at 9 percent. It was 9.4 percent in December. That's, by the way, the lowest unemployment rate since April of 2009.
Again, I tell you, anybody who listens to me regularly says, I know politicians like to talk about that 9 percent. It's not the most important part. This is. There were 50,000 private sector jobs added in January. Created. There were 14,000 government jobs lost. That's the trend we're seeing these days. We like that trend. We want more private sector jobs replacing government jobs. The problem is, there just aren't enough private sector jobs created.
Economists surveyed by cnnmoney.com expected at least 148,000 jobs to be created. We need more than 200,000 to start budging -- getting down to a lower unemployment rate over the course of the next couple of years. We need more than 300,000 a month to get back to where we were before the recession. And we got 36,000.
Take a look where they were added and lost. Manufacturing. That is very unusual, because we have seen for years manufacturing jobs cut. In the last year, we've started to see some manufacturing jobs created. Possibly a lower U.S. dollar. We were so close to the bone that we need to create jobs if we need to make things.
Twenty-eight thousand jobs were added in retail. Thirty-one thousand in business and professional services. Some losses. The biggest group, construction, 32,000 jobs and 38,000 in transportation and warehousing.
What does this mean? Let's go to New York. Christine Romans standing by. She is the host of "Your Bottom Line" Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.
Christine, what do you make of this? I know you are tasked with making something of it because you're live on TV when it happens at 8:30 in the morning. And what came out of your mouth was that it's funky.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is funky. I heard some other economists who said it's a disastrous, it's meaningless. Oh, geez, I don't know want to make of this. All this conflicting information in this economic report.
So what does it mean for people who are looking for a job or people who have a job?
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: It means the labor market, private sector employment, is slowly creeping forward, but it's nowhere where we need it to be 19 months into an economic recovery.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: So, you know, we hear from a lot of you who say whenever people talk about an economy getting better, you say, wait a minute, you know, my brother still doesn't have a job, I'm still underemployed, I would like a better job, I would like to move up at work. All of that stays the same.
This month shows us that for the last year we created 215,000 fewer jobs than we thought. That's what this data shows. But it also shows that November and December we created more jobs than we first thought.
VELSHI: Right. ROMANS: So we'll watch to see how this is all revised. I mean it's messy because of the wild weather. That's why you saw construction and transportation jobs probably down.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: We've seen about 11,000 jobs each month created in health care. There's some --
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: There's still some action there, but we need to see more jobs. There's no question.
VELSHI: Here's the thing, Christine. We have invested -- we meaning government -- have invested trillions of dollars in things that would end up solving this financial crisis and heading towards job creation. It hasn't ultimately worked. It may work. We may need more money. But if you are one of those people affected by it, you can't be depending on this particular trend. You have to become one of those people for whom there is a job available in the United States. And there are jobs available, they're just mismatched to the people who need them.
ROMANS: And if you are a senior in high school or a junior in high school, if you are in college, if you newly are out of college or if you're young in your career, a career where you're not finding opportunities, this is a really important moment.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: An important moment where you're going to make some decisions that are going to make the difference between living a well -- a good middle class existence or struggling and paying a lot of student loans. So, science, technology, engineering, math. How many times have you and I talked about those stem careers.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: I looked in this report. For a bachelor degree, the unemployment rate is 4.2 percent. Think of that, 4.2 percent.
VELSHI: That is less than half the national average.
ROMANS: In general, it's 90 percent.
VELSHI: Yes. Yes.
ROMANS: That's less than half. Yet, only 40 percent of high school seniors graduate, Ali, to go on to get a bachelor's degree. So --
VELSHI: Yes. And then if you are in one of these areas, science, technology, engineering, and math, your unemployment rate is going to be lower than even that 4.2 percent. ROMANS: Absolutely. I mean in some of these computer programming fields, there's like 1.9 percent unemployment. And these are incredibly mobile jobs. People moving around.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: Now, sometimes I say that and I get a lot of e-mails from people who say, yes, it's so mobile that my job just went to Vietnam.
VELSHI: Well, that's (INAUDIBLE). Yes.
ROMANS: So I get that, too, that some of these -- that's part of mobile, too. But, look, not everybody can be a rocket scientist or an engineer. That's why we also have to be talking about education, about science and math teachers and making sure that there are other pathways for other kinds of trade careers and the like. All of this is a discussion that's currently well underway.
VELSHI: Well, and we're going to be having it on your show and mine this weekend. So tune in to "Your Bottom Line" Saturday morning 9:30 a.m. Eastern. Christine's got that handled. She's also on my show, "Your Money," Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. This weekend, a special time at Sunday. It's at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. An hour later than usual. We are talking extensively about jobs.
All right, 22 minutes after the hour. Let me bringing you up to speed on some of the top stories that we are following.
Tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrations flood Cairo's Tahrir Square for a rally they call "the day of departure." That message no doubt intended for President Mubarak, who has not departed for anywhere yet. Pro-Mubarak supporters staged a rally dubbed "day of loyalty." Today's demonstrations have been relatively peaceful in contrast to widespread violence in the last few days.
Here in the United States, a punishing band of snow and sleet stretches from Texas to Tennessee. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, causing a major headache for people headed to Sunday's Super Bowl game in Arlington, Texas. Arlington is in the Dallas area. Temperatures there are in the low 20s. The snow is six inches deep in some places. But Chad tells us it will warm up to 44 for Super Bowl Sunday.
And honoring the actor turned president of the United States. If he were alive today, Ronald Reagan would turn 100 years old on Sunday. The nation's 40th president served two terms of office. He die on June 5, 2004. What would he say about the political climate we're in right now? How would the Tea Party view him? I'm going to have a great conversation about this later in the show for all you Reagan fans, or those who don't like him so much.
Mark Kelly is expected to announce that he will head back into space in April. Coming up, we'll talk to a former astronaut who will tell us about the difficulties of leaving family, any family, to go into space. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: A new study shows global obesity has nearly doubled between 1980 and 2008. The United States, by the way, leading the way, topping the list of high-income countries with a huge increase in body mass index.
A study author said the results show obesity is no longer just an issue in the western nations. It has shifted to lower and middle- income countries. However, the findings which come in three papers published in the medical journal "Lancet" also showed in-roads have been made in decreasing global cholesterol and high blood pressure rates.
Speaking of weight. Another new study finds a possible link between moms who work and their kids' weight. It appears that the longer women work, the more their kids gain weight. A study in the journal "Child Development" found an increase in child's BMI, body mass index, for every six months the child's mother worked. The reasons why are unclear, however. The researchers stressed that the study is not implying that moms should need to leave the workforce.
Today is World Cancer Day. The American Cancer Society has released a new report that shows cancers, like lung and breast cancer, are now on the rise in developing countries. The report showed breast cancer is now the lead cause of cancer death for women in developing countries. While colon cancer is on the decline in the United States, it's actually increasing in eastern Europe and Asia.
Well, astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, will announces this afternoon that he will command the upcoming flight of the space shuttle Endeavour. That leaves in April. That came under question when his wife was shot in the head last month in Arizona. A lot of people have strong feelings about whether he should leave his wife during this time.
Let's bring in someone who knows what it's like to leave family and go to space. Dr. Bernard Harris. He's the first African-American to walk in space. He's the author of the book "Dream Walker: A Journey of Achievement and Inspiration."
Bernard, good to see you again. Thanks for being with us.
DR. BERNARD HARRIS, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Good to be here, Ali.
VELSHI: Let's just talk -- I would -- I mean this -- I sort of have separation anxiety normally. I mean this would be an issue to me, and I think for most people, to counter the excitement of being a space walker, being an astronaut. You are going into this astronaut. You are not going to return to earth even if things go well, usually, for some length of time. I assume most people who are astronauts have overcome that basic level of anxiety.
HARRIS: Well, you certainly have to overcome that if you're going it leave your family and go into space. You know, for me, it was a difficult decision. And, you know, not many people know that for astronauts it's pretty easy for us to decide that we're going to travel in space and sometimes we forget how stressful it can be on the families.
VELSHI: What do you go through? Because I assume in your normal life astronauts are like everyone else. They call their wives, they call their kids, they interact with people on a regular basis. Do they somehow prepare you? And, look, Mark Kelly's an old pro at this. He's done this several times. So whatever training he's needed for that, he's done. But how do you deal with that? Are you constantly talking to each other? Are you reading? What do you do?
HARRIS: Well, you know, in terms of the training, I guess your question is, of course, you know, every mission we not only get basic training, but we train anywhere from two to three years in preparation for that mission. So we're pretty busy.
And someone like Mark, who has done this three times is really prepared for what he needs to do.
VELSHI: Let's take it to the other side, the family side. I mean, the case of Gabrielle Giffords, definitely surrounded by a lot of support, including the support of the entire nation. Does a family typically go through preparation the first time an astronaut goes on a space mission?
HARRIS: Well, I think the first time you go is probably the most difficult time. I remember sitting down with my wife and family and kind of explaining that, you know, I'm getting ready to fulfill a childhood dream, and I need your support. And, of course, they were there supporting me, but you have to sit down and talk about what happens if I don't come back, and so --
VELSHI: I want to actually --
HARRIS: -- actually have to sit down -- yes.
VELSHI: Let me reach into your book for a second, "Dream Walker: Journey of Achievement and Inspiration," you talk about this particularly. I'm going to read an excerpt here.
It says, "As our planned launch date of March 22cd, 1993 grew closer, we were told to make sure that our personal affairs were in good order in case of an accident. That may sound kind of morbid, but it's an important part of the business of space flight. This precaution requires meeting with the people you love most in the world and planning your own imminent demise. It can be a difficult, painful ordeal. Astronauts don't like it and families don't like t."
HARRIS: Exactly. It's very tough, because you have to approach it from the standpoint that you're not coming back. And so that means you have to prepare your will, you have to make sure you have adequate life insurance and take care of the family as you're gone. And then sit down and talk about what happens if I don't come back. What does the family look like? And that's tough.
VELSHI: What is the sense of mission involved in this? This is not the same as going on a vacation or doing something that you feel you want to do, as much as astronauts are very compelled to do this. There is sort of a larger sense of mission involved in being a spacewalker, being an astronaut?
HARRIS: Well, it is. And I don't think it's too much different than someone being deployed for military operations. They have to go through the same thing. And you know, so we're not unique from that standpoint, except for, of course, we're leaving the planet. So there is sort of that -- that aura around that.
In terms of the family, for me, it was great to have their support. I could not have gone into space twice without knowing that I had that type of support from family here on Earth.
VELSHI: Bernard, we're out of time for this discussion, but I would like to get you back on a conversation that we've had in the past, and that is your commitment to something that just I spoke with my colleague Christine Romans about, and that is STEM education -- science, technology, engineering and math education for kids -- something you are personally involved in. You'll come back and we'll have that conversation, OK?
HARRIS: Great.
VELSHI: Very good.
Bernard Harris is a former NASA astronaut live from Houston talking about Mark Kelly, the announcement coming up that he is going back into space.
All right, a big centennial celebration is planned to remember Ronald Reagan this weekend. Ahead, a look at his legacy. If he were alive, how might the Tea Party look at him? Would he be on their side? We'll talk about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Happening now, all eyes are on Egypt where protesters demanding President Hosni Mubarak's immediate resignation declared this a "Day of Departure." But so far, there's no sign that he is going anywhere.
A massive demonstration in Cairo's Tahrir Square has been mostly peaceful, but gun fire and street fights have been reported outside the square. Officials say violence in previous days has left eight people dead and at least five people injured.
Getting to Dallas for the Super Bowl has become a big challenge with a winter storm sweeping across the south. American Airlines cancelled more than 600 flights in and out of Dallas, and Southwest has cancelled at least 60 flights so far today.
The economy added just 36,000 jobs in January, falling short of expectations. Meanwhile, unemployment unexpectedly fell to 9 percent down from 9.4 percent the month before. Economists say January's snowstorms affected the numbers, keeping some job seekers at home and keeping many offices closed.
A big celebration on tap to celebrate this weekend to celebrate what would have been President Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday. As the 40th president of the United States, he became known as the Great Communicator from many of his notable speeches.
Joining me to talk about Reagan's legacy is Nick Ragone. His new book "Presidential Leadership: 15 decisions that changed the nation" hits shelves this weekend. I want to point out that I wrote the forward to the book.
Nick, welcome. I'm glad I only got the forward, cause the book's -- the heavy lifting is inside.
NICK RAGONE, AUTHOR, "PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP": The forward is brilliant, by the way.
VELSHI: thank you very much. I wanted you to say that.
Let me ask you this -- if President Reagan were alive today, if he were the president, how would he fit into this political environment that we're in?
RAGONE: I mean, it's a really good question. I think on policy he'd fit in just fine with the conservatives and Tea Party. You know, limited government, strong defense -- strong national defense, tax cuts, never go in a vote.
But I think in temperament he might be a little bit out of lock step with the current environment. He was a cheery optimist. He didn't mind compromising on occasion. He got along with Democrats, people like Tip O'Neill. So I think, in that sense, he might be a little out of lock step with the current mood, particularly with the Tea Party.
VELSHI: You study presidents a lot, you actually write about some presidents I didn't even know were presidents.
Do you think, over the time you've been following the presidency, have we changed our opinion of Ronald Reagan? Do we look at him more favorably or less than when he left office?
RAGONE: I mean, we certainly look at him more favorably, and that's not unusual of presidents. But typically, that happens 40 or 50 years later. With Truman, it took two or three decades before we thought differently about him.
With Reagan it's happened a lot sooner. And I think, in part, because we look back at some of his governing philosophy -- limited government, tax cuts, strong defense, making us proud again -- and I think we sort of yearn for that.
And President Obama said as much in this State of the Union. Even though he didn't use Reagan's name, he definitely echoed a lot of his themes. And I think we're just sort of yearning back for that time when Reagan made things simple for us. VELSHI: You and others have said that President Obama has actually tapped into a little bit of President Reagan. That he needs to sort of -- when he looks at the recent presidents, he needs to be the most like Reagan.
RAGONE: Yes, certainly. I mean, he's done a brilliant job with that. I think after the election he knew he had to the middle. What better way to move to the middle and sort of take of some of the energy out of the conservative movement then start adopting some of the rhetoric and policy of Ronald Reagan?
And back in 2008, remember, during the primary he said President Reagan transformed this nation the with that President Clinton did not. He got a lot of heat from Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, but essentially he revealed his hand, which is he sort of looks up to Reagan in some ways. And I think he's done a good job at stealing some of that message.
VELSHI: What he'd like to do is relive some of Reagan's reelection, because around this time in Reagan's reelection, he wasn't looking so good in the polls.
RAGONE: No. I mean, if you remember, we went through a big recession in '82, he was down in the polls in early '83. It wasn't until '84 that he started to rally and then the economy started picking up.
But I think you hit the nail on the head. President Obama would love to have that same arc as far as job creation. We saw today the job numbers were weak. The president needs that to pick up by the middle or end of this year in order to have that sort of Reagan moment in America moment in 2012.
VELSHI: Nick, good to see you, great book. And if those of you out there -- well, if you can get through the first few pages which I wrote, the rest of it is quite palatable. Nick, great to see you.
Nick Ragone is the author of "Presidential Leadership: 15 Decisions That Changed the Nation."
And CNN will bring you live coverage of President Reagan's centennial celebration from his presidential library in Simi Valley, California. Join us Sunday beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
All right, if you have a great invention, well good luck getting a patent for it. I'll tell you why it may be nearly impossible right now. It's our "Big I" right after this.
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VELSHI: Tens of thousands of prodemocracy protesters, demonstrators are packed into Cairo's Tahrir Square calling their mass rally a "Day of Departure." Their message is clear, President Mubarak must leave now, not later, not in September when those elections have been called for. Just a short while ago, the country's prime minister declared that antigovernment forces are helping Egypt correct its path. That's putting a spin on things.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has been in the thick of things. Now he joins us by phone from Cairo,
Fred, it's nighttime, we see the pictures, lots of people still in Tahrir Square. What's happening?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, right now, it still seems like a very peaceful scene there, Ali. I would say there's probably 4,000, 5,000 people who are still in the square. There are some people leaving over a bridge that crosses the Nile, but not very many. I mean, it still is quite full.
I also have a pretty good overview over the place where yesterday we had those very fierce pitched battles between the pro- and anti- Mubarak protesters. Right now, it's fairly quiet in there as well. There are some people in front of a campfire, there are some people praying.
I did see some skirmishes in that area today. Not many, however. There were a couple of gunshots. But again, much less violence than we saw yesterday.
Now, Ali, part the reason for that is the military is being far more assertive today than it was yesterday. And part of the reason for that is apparently they have some more senior soldiers in there today.
I talked to one of them who said he was a member of an airborne division and certainly they seem to have a better grip of the security situation here in the area around in Tahrir square and I think that's why you're not seeing the pro- and anti-Mubarak protestors clash the way they have been.
VELSHI: Now, let me tell you, in terms of trying to get the upper hand, one of the things that seems to have worked in favor of the anti-Mubarak protesters is that there have been some very high named defections from establishment organizations to the defectors. We saw this with that one journalist who moved away from Nile TV and went and joined the protesters. She quit after 20 years. But there have been more today.
PLEITGEN: Well, there certainly have been. And one of the things that Amir Moussa, for instance, was on the square, joining protesters today. I mean, that's pretty significant. He's the head of the Arab league. So, certainly that was a very, very significant thing for him to come there.
He did have a lot of people following him. I was actually on the square had he was there as well. That really is something that fuels the motivation. But on the other hand, we have to realize, these people are highly motivated. I mean, I was on the square today. They were literally telling me they are going to stay there for as long as it takes. And of course, that has been fueled and strengthened by the fact these people out there -- they have been out there more than a week and they've endured a siege by camels and horses, by an angry mob of pro-Mubarak protesters, they've had people shoot at them. They've in effect defeated the Egyptian police, which is now off the streets.
Right now, most of those people are feeling pretty good about themselves and pretty good about the state of their movement, Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Fred, good to see you. Stay safe. You'll continue to report along with our very vague team that is down in Cairo and across Egypt. We'll get more about that later on.
We've been telling you about the ripple effects that Egypt is having on the region. Case in point, Yemen, a key U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda, although a terrorist hotbed as well. Just as in Egypt, unrest and confusion is jolting that country. Thousands of anti-government protesters swarmed the streets of the capital yesterday. The clear signal? The president's recent announcement that he will not run for re-election isn't good enough. And as in Egypt, protestors are angry over high fuel and food prices and the lack of jobs.
And the harsh, frigid winter weather that plagued much of country for the past week found a new victim. The Super Bowl. 300 departing flights have been cancelled at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, and American Airlines has cancelled 630 flights into Dallas.
Texas isn't the only victim as more Gulf states brace themselves for more snow and ice in the coming days.
Astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, is expected to announce this afternoon that he will pilot the upcoming and final flight of space shuttle Endeavor in April. Kelly was originally scheduled to command the flight, but that came into question when his wife was shot at a political rally in January in Tucson.
This afternoon, President Obama welcomed prime minister Steven Harper of Canada to the White House. The two leaders are expected to discuss relationships between the two countries with a focus on cooperation on clean energy. The prime minister of Canada is expected to ask President Obama why it's so cold in the United States.
Every day on this show, we have a segment called "The Big I." It's all about new ideas and innovations. Those ideas become innovations when products or processes are developed. To get those processes to the market, you need a patent.
Check out these incredible images of original patents for some famous toys over the years. This, by the way, you are looking at, is the original patent drawing for Barbie. The Blog, how to be a retronaut, posted these images this week. This is the original patent for Slinky. It was submitted in 1946, approved less than a year later, 1947. This is the patent for Monopoly from 1904. If these patents were submitted today, they would have likely have taken much longer to get to market. Many say the patent system today is busted. It's antiquated, it's underfunded.
Here's the thing. You may not care, but if we want to compete as a country when it comes to innovation, one of the few things that America still does better than anyone else, got to fix this broken system of getting new ideas actually on the market. That's what we talk about in "The Big I" all the time. What's the point of inventing if you can't protect your invention?
We're making some headway on reform. Just this week, a Senate judicial panel passed the Patent Reform Act of 2011. Here to tell us about it, CNNmoney.com staff writer and excellent friend of the show, David Goldman. You have written about this. David, talk about writing about something obscure. Most people who don't invent things that have nothing to doing with the patent office have no idea what this issue is. What's the problem?
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, there are a lot of problems with our patent system. I mean, when we're talking about inventions and we're talking about jobs, this is a big job creator, or a big potential job creator.
But one of the problems is that the system is really broken. Right now the U.S. Patent and Trade Office, which controls all of the -- the patent applications, has a 700,000 patent backlog.
VELSHI: Wow.
GOLDMAN: It takes an average of three years. Yes. It's unbelievable. It takes an average of three years to get a patent through. And not just that, but after you get your patent through, you're inevitably going to get sued, because someone else claims that they have invented that invention.
VELSHI: David - this is -- I understand that it's expensive to run any government office, but this one has a direct relationship to prosperity. I mean, there must be a lot of junk patents out there. But some of them actually come to fruition and make people rich, employ people and bring money into the United States.
GOLDMAN: That's right. And that's the big problem, that -- you know, it's not just the funny patents that you see, you know, with people, this is a real patent someone invented, how to get your cat to follow a laser pointer. I mean, there are a lot of things like that that are causing the patents to have a longer backlog.
But the Microsofts of the world and Intels and the big tech companies, these are the ones that are really fueling innovation, the clean technology, the clean energy companies. This is the technology and these are the jobs of the future. And it's really hard to get these things done when you have a backlog as large as the U.S. Patent and Trade Office has right now.
VELSHI: Any chance we're going to get somewhere? We had this reform, this bill introduced. Is it going to fix things?
GOLDMAN: Well, the reform would do a number of things. It would make it so that the first to file a patent, instead of the first to invent a patent, would get the patent. That solves a lot of problem if, say, a company filed first in China and then had to file in the United States. That solves a lot of those problems. There's some other things as well about making the damage, the potential damages, for minor patent violations much smaller so they're not clogging up the judicial system as well.
But this is something that's been going on for 50 years. There really hasn't been a major change in the patent system for over five decades. So, you know, I'm not holding out hope -- I don't think a lot of people are, either.
VELSHI: All right. We've got to start a movement, David! Because this is important. This is going to actually help things. You have to be pretty smart in this world to file a patent. If you're not that smart but you're kind of smart, you want to be smarter, read David's stuff on money.com. He writes about all of this kind of stuff, and you'll get better at it.
David, good to see you. To check out more on the patent process and see more of those original patent pictures, head to my blog, CNN.com/ali. We will also link you to the U.S. Patent Office, but be patient if you're submitting a patent with that.
Another Bush in the White House. Mark Preston's got the details, coming up next.
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VELSHI: Boy, this has been a jam-packed hour of news. We want to end it off with something that's really going to keep you going, and that is our political update. Special treat. Our senior political editor, Mark Preston, joins me now from the political desk in Washington.
Mark, they tell me another Bush may have his sights set on the Oval Office.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, they do. You know, Jeb Bush, who was a really successful former governor of Florida, a lot of Republicans would like to see him run in 2012, Ali. But again, he is saying no, he has no interest. The latest he is saying now is in an interview with "The National Review," which is that national conservative magazine, well thought of in conservative circles.
He was asked if he has any interest in running in 2012 for president. He said no. He was asked if he would be interested running against the Democratic senator Bill Nelson in 2012. He said no. But then, listen to what he said when asked about 2016. He said, "I sure hope a Republican is running for reelection then. But I've learned to never say never."
So, Jeb Bush is well-liked among conservatives. Not ruling out a run in 2016, should there be an opening, Ali.
But let's talk about two gentlemen thinking about running for president in 2012, and that's Mitch Daniels, the Indiana governor and former senator Rick Santorum. While Rick Santorum has some choice words for Daniels, he told -- Daniels is under some criticism, Ali, for saying that they shouldn't be focusing on social issues right now, they should be focusing on the economy.
Well, this is what Rick Santorum had to tell Hugh Hewitt, the radio host. He said about Daniels, "He is off base. I don't think he understands conservatism, what conservatism is all about." So, there you go, Ali. A little war of words there between Santorum and Daniels.
VELSHI: Mark, good to see you, my friend. You're going to be back with me, by the way, this weekend on "YOUR $$$$$." Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern, Sunday, special time, 4 p.m. Eastern. We're going to talk about that jobs report.
Mark, good to see you. Next political update from The Best Political Team on Television in one hour from now.
Charles Manson, back in the news. The reason may surprise you. I'll tell you why after the break.
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VELSHI: In today's "Odds & Ends," for the second time in two years, Charles Manson was found with contraband cell phone at Corcoran State Prison in California. They're all contraband, by the way. It wasn't a special cell phone.
In December, "The Los Angeles Times" reported that the ringleader of the 1969 so-called Manson murders had used a cell phone to make calls and sends texts to people in California, New Jersey, Florida and British Columbia. Contraband cell phones are a growing problem among inmates. Officials are looking into how Manson obtained his latest phone.
New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte announced his retirement today at a press conference at Yankee Stadium. The 38-year-old left- hander won five World Series championships with the Yanks. After 16 years in the Major Leagues, 13 of them with the Yankees, Pettitte leaves with 240 career wins, including a Major League record, 19 post- season victories.
